Murkowski: Legislature must meet budget targets

The Republican governor met with GOP legislative leaders Friday, after the Senate approved its version of the operating budget for fiscal 2004 earlier in the week.

The House had already approved its version of the budget. Now the two versions will go to a conference committee to find compromises.

Murkowski said lawmakers will have to come up with a plan that meets his "budget targets."

"We've got a lot of work to do over the next few weeks," said Sen. Gary Wilken, a Fairbanks Republican. Wilken is co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

Murkowski had called on lawmakers to approve an operating budget that slashes $55 million from state spending and thus draws no more than $400 million from the state's budget reserve.

To meet his own budget goal, Murkowski proposed about $113 million in taxes and fees, along with elimination of the longevity bonuses paid to eligible Alaskans, and other cuts.

Although many of his key proposals face an uncertain fate, Murkowski said he was confident lawmakers would reach an accord before the Legislature adjourns, on May 21 at the latest.

"We know where we're going, and we know how to get there," Murkowski said following his meeting with legislative leaders. "There's no question in my mind they are going to meet those targets."

The House has not acted on his tax proposals - including a 12 cent increase in the state's tax on each gallon of gasoline and a tax on car rentals. But House Speaker Pete Kott, an Eagle River Republican, said those proposals should begin moving next week.

The House Ways and Means Committee also is considering a 3 percent statewide sales tax to raise up to $330 million a year. Murkowski said he prefers a seasonal sales tax, which would catch tourists, but did not say he would veto a full-year version.

Even so, there's no clear consensus among Senate Republicans for such a tax, said Senate President Gene Therriault.

When the conference committee goes to work on next year's budget, they'll need to find agreement in several key areas.

Murkowski proposed a $28 million cut in K-12 education spending and an end to the senior citizen longevity bonus.

The House rejected the idea of eliminating the bonus, which sends checks of up to $250 to eligible seniors. The Senate Finance Committee has proposed saving about $27 million by limiting the program to low-income seniors, creating an income and asset test. The full Senate has not acted on that yet.

Such a proposal would eliminate about two-thirds of the 18,000 eligible Alaskans from the program.

The House and Senate spending plans add back some of the cuts Murkowski proposed for K-12 education.